Former Maoist leader shot dead in Jharkhand

A former Maoist leader, carrying a reward of Rs three lakh on his head, was killed in an encounter at Raidih in Gumla district on Monday, police said.

A police team spotted Yogendra Oraon on a bike early this morning. When police chased him, Oraon fired at them but he was killed in the return fire, Superintendent of Police Jatin Narwal told reporters in Gumla.

Oraon was a former 'sub-zonal commander' of CPI (Maoist) and quit the banned outfit to join the People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI), he said.

Oraon also left PLFI to form his own outfit which indulged in extortion and murder, he said.